The agreement signed by Vick Thursday is notable in its carefully worded passages, especially when it comes to whether he gambled and whether he killed dogs. It also goes far beyond his co-defendants in spelling out the consequences if he lies to the feds.
The wording of the plea agreement is important to Vick in one critical regard: He didn’t gamble. Of course, an NFL player who gets caught up in a gambling scandal can be banned for life from the league. However, although Vick didn’t admit to gambling, he did admit to consorting with gamblers and with bankrolling the bets made by his co-defendants.
Here are some of the key provisions of his plea agreement:
Gambling: Vick says he didn’t gamble. Vick admits that Bad Newz Kennels was involved in gambling activities during the dogfights. He says he provided money for the wagers but did not gamble himself, and that the gambling proceeds were generally split by his co-defendants.
Killing dogs: Vick admits that he helped kill dogs. There are two references to this. The first, in 2002, Vick admits that dogs were tested to determine if they were good fighters. Vick says he was aware the dogs that did not perform well would be killed, but that he “did not kill any dogs at this time.”
In April 2007, Vick admits they tested another batch of dogs and agreed to kill 6 to 8. “Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Vick.”
However, compare that to the terse and stark wording of plea agreements of Peace and Phillips: “Peace, Phillips and Vick executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions … by various methods, including hanging and drowning. All three participated in executing the dogs. Peace [and Phillips] agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of Peace, Phillips and Vick.”
Length of sentence: While prosecutors are expected to recommend a prison term of 12 to 18 months, the agreement plainly spells out that the judge is not bound by that recommendation. Many people who have appeared before the judge predict that he will give Vick additional time.
Cooperation: Vick must provide “full and truthful” cooperation to the government, and provide all information on criminal activity as asked by the government. Vick also agrees to provide to the government all information he knows about his dogfighting enterprise.
Polygraph: Vick agreed to submit to a lie detector test, if requested by prosecutors.
Penalty: If the government discovers that Vick has lied to them, either directly or by omission, Vick cannot change his plea and must face the possibility of a full prison term and perjury charges.
The AJC is reporting that the state Legislature’s “Special Equine Study Committee” voted this morning to propose a public referendum to legalize horse racing in Georgia — and, it goes without saying, gambling on horse racing.
